What’s in a (Domain) Name’

You’d be surprised just how many people tell me that they don’t seem to be getting much activity on their website. My first question is always, “Well, what’s your URL?”

What I find fascinating in their answer is that the more slashes in their URL, the less traffic they, on average, receive. So while www.insureagent.net is getting the hits, www.geocities.com/business/insurance/agents/cruzagency.html is a little less traveled.

Where top-level domain (TLD) names such as “.com,” “.net” and “.org” used to be a luxury for insurance agencies, today they play a key part in the success of your website.

No excuses

For a while, the price for registering a TLD seemed a little too steep. This was especially true for insurance agents in the mid-1990s who were just trying to figure out what a “web presence” really meant.

In 1995, it cost $150 per year to register a TLD. For what the web really had to offer the average insurance agent back then, $150 a year was probably a bit much for an online brochure.

However, in mid-1999, the monopoly on domain name registration held by Network Solutions Inc. (www.nsi.com or www.networksolutions.com) expired. Deregulation occurred and all sorts of new registration companies were formed that now make their living registering domain names.

It also led to dramatically lower prices for domain names. Most of the big players like NSI now charge $35 a year. However, if you shop around you’ll find that sites like the Texas-based Global Knowledge Group (www.gkg.net) charge only $9.99 to register a domain name for a year.

However, a drop in prices has led to an explosion in domain name registration, making it harder to get an easy sounding domain name. Insurance.com-gone. Insurecalifornia.com-gone. There is talk about expanding the TLD designations to allow more flexibility, but until they do, you’ll need some creativity and some resources to help you choose the right domain name for your agency.

You’ll first want to make use of Verio’s www.whois.net. This is one of the best places to do some research on what is or is not available. You may want to consider your agency’s name such as www.smith-agents.com.

But you’ll have to think about your visitors. Don’t hyphenate your domain name unless it is necessary to the name. For example, www.smith-jones.com may be okay, but www.smith-southern-california-insurance-solutions.com may be a little much to remember.

That also brings up another point. While domain registrars are registering names upwards of 67 characters long, keep it simple. Some agencies will go with the more generic service or insurance product as their domain name. So, www.insureagent.net or www.carinsurance.com are possibilities.

Notice the use of “.net”? Businesses are making more use of some of the formerly “off-limit” designations. If you can’t find the “.com” you want, see what the “.net” possibilities are, as well as the “.to” and the “.cc.”

What money can buy

Another way to go is by using sites like www.domainbook.com to see what domain names are up for sale. It could be that what you want is taken but is for sale. You probably won’t get it for $9.99 but if you really want it, you might be able to pay for it. Or keep an eye on the unclaimed or delinquent domain names. If people don’t re-register at the end of their prescribed time, the name goes back into the pool of names. This is the time to sweep one up.

At around $10 to $15 a domain name, this is a great opportunity to pick up names to support specialty or niche products. There are many surfers out there (myself included) who will type in what they want-like http://www.carinsurance.com/-first, before going to a search engine. This may be the way to add traffic back into your site. Or get versions of your domain name with hyphens, without and abbreviated in order to make it easier for someone to reach you. However, pick one as the main URL for business materials—cards, letterhead, etc.

Also, go ahead and register your name for more than one year. There is nothing like losing your name after a year because you forgot, and having to recreate materials and tell all of your current customers that you had to get a new URL. You can register for up to 10 years now and the entire registration process is as easy as buying a book online.

One final note, if you are serious about your options for domain names or are considering getting one (or more), I’d recommend visiting DomainNotes.com at www.domainnotes.com to learn more about domain names, registration and other FAQs. Oh, and by the way, the domain name www.insureagent.net is not taken-yet.

Technocracy is a regular column designed to examine and explain new technology and how it applies to the insurance industry. Readers are encouraged to e-mail questions or comments to John Chivvis at ijwest@insurancejournal.com.

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